TWIC Machines Faulty, Lawmaker Says

Most of the machines that process the Transportation Worker Identification Credential cards are broken, according to a House lawmaker, the Associated Press reported.

Of the 12 machines that make the cards, only four work, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a letter dated Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, AP said.

It typically takes only a day to produce one of these cards, but it now takes up to 10 days because of the malfunctioning machines, Thompson wrote.

By next April, 1.2 million workers are expected to be enrolled in the TWIC program which is supposed to produce a tamperproof ID card intended to help ensure that potential terrorists do not have access U.S. seaports, AP reported.

As of June 6, 249,652 cards have been printed — leaving nearly 1 million to be produced by April, AP said.

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